By David Carmona (ERNI Spain)
In software development, time and resources are always under pressure. Every new project demands fresh code, careful testing and coherent design. Too often, teams find themselves rebuilding the same basic elements, buttons, forms, charts and navigation menus again and again. This duplication slows delivery, increases costs and introduces inconsistencies that erode user trust.
We have seen this pattern across industries. Robotics teams working on digital twins, MedTech providers standardising interfaces across devices, and industrial automation firms that need reusable control widgets all face the same pain when they start from scratch each time. There is a better way forward.
Why you should care about component libraries
A component library is more than a code bucket. It is a curated set of reusable, tested and well-documented building blocks that you can combine across multiple projects. When you treat common components as shared assets, not one-off deliverables, you unlock three long-term advantages:
• Speed: new applications ship faster because the building blocks already exist
• Efficiency: developers spend less time duplicating work and more time solving domain problems
• Consistency: interfaces feel familiar across products, which strengthens your brand and user confidence
From our experience, the real value scales with each project. Once the foundation is in place, every new initiative benefits: effort drops, delivery accelerates and innovation becomes more sustainable.
Short-term effort, long-term gains
We’ll be honest – creating a component library requires extra effort at the start. You need to design for reuse, set up the right repositories and automation, and add stronger testing. The first project can feel heavier as a result, but the payoff comes quickly. By the second project, you write less code, repeat fewer tests and correct fewer inconsistencies. By the third project, the productivity boost is hard to ignore.
Think of it as creating a brick mold. At first it requires more work, but afterwards each piece comes out ready, uniform, and reusable.
Beyond code: Collaboration and strategy
Building a library is not just a technical task. It is an organisational shift. Success depends on:
• Team coordination: frontend, backend, UX, QA and DevOps align on branching, versioning, and continuous integration and delivery
• Governance: clear standards for documentation, testing and releases so components remain reliable and adaptable
• Shared vision: agreement on why the library matters and how it supports business goals across products
The guide also recommends pragmatic integration practices when you roll components into existing systems. Using feature flags lets you control launches, run dark releases and roll back quickly if needed, all while you verify end-to-end behaviour with thorough tests.
A practical path forward
If you’re ready to begin, there’s no need to invent the path from scratch. Our 7-step framework guides the entire journey. It starts with a needs analysis and a technical feasibility study, followed by team alignment and role definition. Infrastructure and automation are then established. Components are developed in isolation with robust testing, integrated into live systems and finally delivered with documentation and coverage reports that ensure faster, safer future maintenance.
The bigger picture
Component libraries are not a passing trend, but a strategic capability. They help you focus on differentiation instead of duplication, standardise quality without sacrificing flexibility and create a sustainable foundation for scaling digital products across teams and business units.
We believe in building software that works today and supports tomorrow’s growth. When you invest in a component library, you are not only improving the current release cycle but also laying the groundwork for faster delivery, lower cost and a more consistent user experience across everything you build.
Final takeaway
If your teams are still coding every component from scratch, you are leaving value on the table. Start small, think strategically and let a component library change how you build software.
